Sandstone
Sandstone is the seat of House Qorgyle. It lies west of the Hellholt and the Brimstone in the western desert of Dorne. The Andals who founded House Qorgyle built Sandstone when they fortified the only well around for fifty leagues in the deep dunes of Dorne. The well was next to a hulking rock in the middle of the sand, which is where the hold got its name. Sandstone is west of Hellholt, south of the Prince's Pass and Skyreach, and east of the Red Mountains and Starfall. Layout Sandstone The well that Sandstone was found on is in fact underneath the stone and sand. Streams trickle into the hold in the immediate surroundings, and there is a relatively large cavern underneath Sandstone with a pool of clear, cool water. The Sandstone itself (the rock) holds the noble quarters of House Qorgyle, carved into the interior along with the Great Hall and the rookery. The surrounding huts and hovels, also constructed out of stone, began popping up after House Qorgyle had settled, with people flocking to the isolated and valuable source of water. The halls and rooms are carved into the stone, making the interior delightfully cool, if dark. The Great Hall, Rookery and noble chambers are on the highest levels of the rock, then the household chambers are on the next level, and storage on the next. On the bottom level lies the pool of crystal water, as well as Qoryn's library and laboratory. The Great Hall The Great Hall is situated at the top of the rock, with the holes in the roof allowing direct sunlight in. The interior is surprisingly cool, and is decorated with crimson and black banners of House Qorgyle. There is a quaint throne at the head of the room where the current Lord or Lady takes their guests, made of black, charred wood. The emblem of House Qorgyle is painted on wood in the centre of the room. When the hall is quiet one might hear a faint noise, but heads of House insist it is the rivers and streams flowing into the well beneath the castle. However if you were to lift the painted wood from the subtle handles in the centre, you would see the true source of the noise. Dozens, possible hundreds of scorpions, flocking the the pit through tunnels in the rock to escape the heat outside. Some members of Hosue Qorgyle refuse to acknowledge or take notice of such a despicable addition, though others use it for more nefarious purposes. The Surrounding Areas The small buildings that attached themselves to Sandstone are what you would expect from a hold in the middle of the desert. There is a blacksmith, a stablemaster, a few brothels and other vital components to a working holdfast. In times of war the inhabitants of the surrounding huts flee to the safety of Sandstone and take shelter in the lowest levels of the hold as they have done for centuries on end. Sandstone was one of the holds where the Dornish were considered to have "melted away", and even dragonfire did not reach the depths of the rock. Category:House Qorgyle Category:Castles Category:Dorne